State Leaders Get Behind Land and Water Conservation Funding for NM
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November 11, 2009
ALBUQUERQUE - It would be money well-spent in New Mexico, according to a state senator, a former Land Commissioner and others who gathered Tuesday at Albuquerque's Tingley Park to voice their support for S. 2747, a bill introduced in Congress by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). It would permanently provide full and dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has only been fully-funded once in the Fund's 45-year history.
Ray Powell, former State Lands Commissioner (from 1993 to 2002), says the Fund is important because it is used to protect national parks, forests and refuges. It also provides matching grants to state and local governments for park and trail acquisitions, and such recreational facilities as Tingley Beach.
"This is exactly the type of investment we need to make, because it creates jobs, it protects the health of the land, and if we protect a healthy watershed, then we're going to save a lot of money in the long term."
The Land and Water Conservation Fund currently receives only about one-third of its authorized amount. Some critics say the dollars could be better spent elsewhere in a tight budget year, but Powell says the projects for which the money is used protect the quality of life that draw people to New Mexico and drive the economy.
According to USFS, the Fund gets its income mostly from fees paid by companies drilling offshore for oil and gas, although there are other funding sources. State Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino (D-Dist. 12) says places that have received support from the fund include some of New Mexico's most popular spots.
"The Petroglyph National Monument for example; the wildlife refuge in Servilleta near Belen also has received money from this. There's a huge array of small and large projects, all across the state."
Dollars from the fund also played a role in the formation of the Valles Caldera Preserve. Funding provided this year will be used for purchases along Bear Creek in the Gila National Forest, and along the El Camino Real Adentro National Historic Trail in Santa Fe County.